U.S. patent application number 14/774705 was filed with the patent office on 2016-01-28 for vehicle armour.
The applicant listed for this patent is NP AEROSPACE LIMITED. Invention is credited to Christopher Davies, Roger Medwell.
Application Number | 20160025458 14/774705 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50346037 |
Filed Date | 2016-01-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160025458 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Davies; Christopher ; et
al. |
January 28, 2016 |
VEHICLE ARMOUR
Abstract
Vehicle armour comprises an assembly of:--a) an outer armour
pack (A) comprising:--i) an outermost outer fibre reinforced
composite protective layer (1) of at least 1 mm thickness; ii) an
outer ceramic armour layer (2) to protect against small arms and
provide initial fragmentation of a penetrator; and iii) an inner
fibre reinforced composite support layer (3) to absorb residual
energy from small arms; the outermost outer fibre reinforced
composite protective layer being configured to protect the outer
ceramic armour layer against minor impacts; b) an air gap (B) of
between 1 mm and 10 mm to allow for deflection of the outer armour
pack; c) an inner armour pack (C) comprising; i) an outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer (5) of at least 0.5 mm
thickness; ii) an inner segmented ceramic armour layer (6)
configured to provide the majority of protection against a
penetrator; iii) an innermost inner fibre reinforced composite
layer (7) of at least 10 mm thickness; the outer fibre reinforced
composite protective layer being configured to protect the inner
segmented ceramic armour layer against damage during handling or
maintenance of the armour d) a high energy absorbing layer (D) of
at least 25 mm thickness configured to mitigate the effect of
residual fragments defeating the outer and inner armour packs. the
assembly being configured to be mounted in spaced relationship to
the hull (11) of a vehicle.
Inventors: |
Davies; Christopher;
(Kenilworth, GB) ; Medwell; Roger; (Coventry,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NP AEROSPACE LIMITED |
Coventry West Midlands |
|
GB |
|
|
Family ID: |
50346037 |
Appl. No.: |
14/774705 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
March 5, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB2014/050653 |
371 Date: |
September 11, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
89/36.08 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41H 7/00 20130101; F41H
5/0428 20130101; F41H 5/023 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41H 5/04 20060101
F41H005/04; F41H 7/00 20060101 F41H007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 13, 2013 |
GB |
1304900.2 |
Claims
1. Vehicle armour comprising an assembly of: a) an outer armour
pack comprising: i) an outermost outer fibre reinforced composite
protective layer of at least 1 mm thickness; ii) an outer ceramic
armour layer to protect against small arms and provide initial
fragmentation of a penetrator; and iii) an inner fibre reinforced
composite support layer to absorb residual energy from small arms;
the outermost outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer
being configured to protect the outer ceramic armour layer against
minor impacts; b) an air gap of between 1 mm and 10 mm to allow for
deflection of the outer armour pack; c) an inner armour pack
comprising; i) an outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer
of at least 0.5 mm thickness; ii) an inner segmented ceramic armour
layer configured to provide the majority of protection against a
penetrator; iii) an innermost inner fibre reinforced composite
layer of at least 10 mm thickness; the outer fibre reinforced
composite protective layer being configured to protect the inner
segmented ceramic armour layer against damage during handling or
maintenance of the armour; d) a high energy absorbing layer of at
least 25 mm thickness configured to mitigate the effect of residual
fragments defeating the outer and inner armour packs; the assembly
being configured to be mounted in spaced relationship to the hull
of a vehicle.
2. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the outermost
outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer has a thickness
of 2 mm-10 mm.
3. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the outer ceramic
armour layer is a segmented ceramic layer.
4. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the inner fibre
reinforced composite support layer is of the same composition as
the outermost outer fibre reinforced composite protective
layer.
5. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the inner fibre
reinforced composite support layer has a thickness of 10-20 mm.
6. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the air gap is
greater than or equal to 2 mm and/or less than or equal to 8
mm.
7. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 5 is of the same composition
as the outermost outer fibre reinforced composite protective
layer.
8. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 5 is of thickness greater
than 1 mm or greater than 2 mm, or less than 10 mm or less than 5
mm.
9. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the inner
segmented ceramic armour layer 6 comprises ceramic tiles embedded
in a resin.
10. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the innermost
inner fibre reinforced composite layer 7 comprises or consists of a
carbon fibre composite.
11. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, in which the high energy
absorbing layer D comprises high molecular weight polyethylene
and/or high molecular weight polypropylene.
12. Vehicle armour as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an
interface plate to assist mounting of the armour to a hull.
13. A vehicle armoured with the armour of claim 1 mounted thereto.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to vehicle armour.
[0002] Armour for vehicles has to meet a number of constraints.
Vehicle armour needs to: [0003] protect against the different types
of threat a vehicle is expected to encounter; [0004] be of
sufficiently low weight as not to unduly impede vehicle speed; and
[0005] be of sufficiently low bulk as not to unduly impede vehicle
manoeuvrability.
[0006] The benchmark against which armour tends to be assessed is
rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) a hot rolled steel.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686 discloses armour aimed at protecting
against an explosively formed projectile [EFP] and comprising a
hard layer disposed facing the threat; a unidirectional fiber layer
disposed behind said hard layer; and a catcher layer behind said
unidirectional fiber layer.
[0008] Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686 is armour that is
alleged to have the same level of ballistic protection against an
EFP threat but at a lower areal density than for RHA [385.7
kg/m.sup.2 as compared with 1040 kg/m.sup.2].
[0009] This lower areal density comes with a penalty of increased
thickness. An areal density of 1040 kg/m.sup.2 for RHA implies a
thickness of about 13.25 cm. The armour exemplified in U.S. Pat.
No. 8,151,686 has an overall thickness exterior to the vehicle hull
of 35.02 cm. This near tripling in thickness poses design problems
for armouring vehicles, particularly around hatches, and decreases
vehicle manoeuvrability with a consequent increase in minor damage
through impacts.
[0010] The armour used in the example of U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686
uses two steel plates and one segmented ceramic plate to provide
the required level of protection against EFP threats.
[0011] The steel plate first encountered by the EFP is intended to
provide significant protection against the EFP. The succeeding
layers between that steel plate and the segmented ceramic plate are
designed to: [0012] wrap around fragments that defeat the steel
plate; [0013] provide space for fragments to disperse; and [0014]
catch the fragments thereafter.
[0015] This results in a significant part of the thickness of the
armour used in the example of U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686 [22.6cm of
the overall 35.02 cm] lying between the front steel plate and the
segmented ceramic plate.
[0016] Further, this arrangement places the armour destined to
shield against EFP threats exposed to damage from small arms fire
and from minor vehicle collisions, which could compromise the
integrity of the armour.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686 uses a steel outer armour which, to
some extent, will be tolerant of vehicle collisions, a "fender
bender" will be just that. However, U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686
provides no means of coping with such collisions where the outer
armour is of ceramic, and the use of steel imposes a weight penalty
in comparison with ceramic. The inventors have provided armour that
maximises the use of ceramic and provides protection to the ceramic
to prevent damage in the event of collision.
[0018] In the following: [0019] the word "outer" means further from
the vehicle hull and the word "inner" means closer to the vehicle
hull; [0020] the word "penetrator" means one or more projectiles
and includes explosively formed projectiles; [0021] where limits to
a range are described any limit mentioned as a minimum may be
combined with any limit mentioned as a maximum.
[0022] The applicants have realised that improved vehicle armour
may be provided comprising an assembly of: [0023] a) an outer
armour pack comprising: [0024] i) an outermost outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer of at least 1 mm thickness;
[0025] ii) an outer ceramic armour layer to protect against small
arms and provide initial fragmentation of a penetrator; and [0026]
iii) an inner fibre reinforced composite support layer to absorb
residual energy from small arms; [0027] the outermost outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer being configured to protect
the outer ceramic armour layer against minor impacts; [0028] b) an
air gap of between 1 mm and 10 mm to allow for deflection of the
outer armour pack; [0029] c) an inner armour pack comprising;
[0030] i) an outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer of
at least 0.5 mm thickness; [0031] ii) an inner segmented ceramic
armour layer configured to provide the majority of protection
against a penetrator; [0032] iii) an innermost inner fibre
reinforced composite layer of at least 10 mm thickness; the outer
fibre reinforced composite protective layer being configured to
protect the inner segmented ceramic armour layer against damage
during handling or maintenance of the armour [0033] d) a high
energy absorbing layer of at least 25 mm thickness configured to
mitigate the effect of residual fragments defeating the outer and
inner armour packs. [0034] the armour being configured to be
mounted in spaced relationship to the hull of a vehicle.
[0035] Further details and feature of armour as claimed are set out
in the claims and in the following illustrative description with
reference to the drawings in which:
[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of armour as claimed; and
[0037] FIG. 2 is an exploded sectional view of an armour panel.
[0038] Armour comprises: [0039] an outer armour pack A; [0040]
spaced by an air gap B from; [0041] an inner armour pack C; and
[0042] a high energy absorbing layer D of at least 25 mm thickness
configured to mitigate the effect of residual fragments defeating
the outer and inner armour packs.
[0043] The outer armour pack A comprises an outermost outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 1 of at least 1 mm thickness;
an outer ceramic armour layer 2 to protect against small arms and
provide initial fragmentation of a penetrator; and an inner fibre
reinforced composite support layer 3 to absorb residual energy from
small arms.
[0044] The outermost outer fibre reinforced composite protective
layer 1 may comprise one or more layers and acts to protect the
outer ceramic armour layer against minor impacts, e.g. low speed
impacts. To some extent, the thicker this layer the better to
protect the ceramic armour layer 2 from damage. A typical thickness
might be 2 mm-10 mm. Suitable materials include any material that
can protect against blunt trauma. The fibres of the reinforced
composite may be of any suitable type and includes without
limitation, glass fibres, ceramic fibres, carbon fibres, polymer
fibres (for example, but not limited to aramids), and mixtures
thereof. The matrix of the composite material may be of any
suitable type and includes without limitation thermoplastic
materials and thermosetting materials. The fibres of the composite
may be in the form of: [0045] unidirectionally disposed fibres
which may be aligned or disposed cross-laid at any required angle;
[0046] woven fibres; or [0047] mixtures of woven and
unidirectionally disposed fibres.
[0048] The outer ceramic armour layer 2 may be segmented armour and
may comprise tiles or pellets of ceramic and the ceramic may be of
any ballistically suitable type, including without limitation;
alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, and composite ceramics.
Typically the thickness is greater than 4 mm, but thickness depends
on threat level.
[0049] The inner fibre reinforced composite support layer 3 may be
of identical or different composition to the outermost fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 1 but is provided with a
thickness sufficient to absorb residual energy from small arms
impacting the outer armour pack A. A typical thickness might be
10-20 mm but thicknesses outside this range [particularly greater
thicknesses to combat higher small arms threat levels] are
contemplated.
[0050] The outer armour pack A is spaced from an inner armour pack
C by an air gap B. The spacing is maintained by spacers 4 which may
be in the form of washers, as shown, strips or any other shape that
may maintain the air gap. The spacers 4 may be stiff or may be of a
resilient material to absorb energy in the event of impact Steel or
aluminium are suitable materials for the spacers. The air gap 4 may
be relatively small as its presence is required to provide a degree
of deflection before energy is transferred to the inner armour pack
C. A thickness of 1 to 10 mm may suffice but greater than or equal
to 2 mm is preferred to permit greater deflection, and less than or
equal to 8 mm is preferred to minimise overall armour
thickness.
[0051] The inner armour pack C comprises [0052] i) an outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 5 of at least 0.5 mm
thickness; [0053] ii) an inner segmented ceramic armour layer 6
configured to provide the majority of protection against a
penetrator; [0054] iii) an innermost inner fibre reinforced
composite layer 7 of at least 10 mm thickness.
[0055] The outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer 5 is
configured to protect the inner segmented ceramic armour layer 6
against damage during handling or maintenance of the armour. The
outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer 5 may be of
identical or different composition to the outermost fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 1 but as it is intended
primarily to protect against handling or maintenance may of less
thickness than the outermost fibre reinforced composite protective
layer 1. A typical thickness might be greater than 1 mm or greater
than 2 mm, or less than 10 mm or less than 5 mm.
[0056] The inner segmented ceramic amour layer 6 may comprise tiles
or pellets embedded in a resin, and may, for example and without
limitation, comprise a layer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,601,497, EP1734332, WO2006/103431, or U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,686.
The segments of the inner segmented ceramic amour layer 6 may be of
any suitable shape and includes, for example and without
limitation, square, rectangular or hexagonal tiles, or tiles or
pellets of any of the shapes disclosed in the above mentioned
documents. The ceramic of the inner segmented ceramic amour layer 6
may be of any ballistically suitable ceramic and includes, without
limitation alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, and composite
ceramics. The specific material and the thickness of ceramic in the
inner segmented ceramic amour layer 6 are selected to deal with a
chosen threat level. Typical thicknesses might be 15 mm or more.
The greater the threat the greater the appropriate thickness for a
given material.
[0057] The innermost inner fibre reinforced composite layer 7 is of
at least 10 mm thickness and may be up to 20 mm, 40 mm, or even
more, dependent on the threat level and the degree of support
required. The innermost inner fibre reinforced composite layer 7 is
intended to provide support to the inner segmented ceramic amour
layer 6 in the event of a ballistic impact. The innermost inner
fibre reinforced composite layer 7 may be of identical or different
composition to the inner fibre reinforced composite support layer
3, but a preferred material is a carbon fibre composite, as
providing a high stiffness with a low weight Energy absorption
properties are not so important for the materials of this layer as
the degree of stiffness and support it provides to the inner
segmented ceramic amour layer 6.
[0058] Behind the inner armour pack C is a high energy absorbing
layer D of at least 25 mm thickness. This is configured to mitigate
the effect of residual fragments defeating the outer and inner
armour packs. The thickness required is a factor of the efficiency
of the rest of the armour. Thicknesses of greater than 30 mm,
greater than 55 mm, greater than 60 mm, greater than 70 mm, or
greater than 80 mm are within the contemplation of the
inventors.
[0059] Several layers may be provided to give the required
thickness and the drawings show two layers 8 of thickness that may
be less than 25 mm totalling together over 25 mm.
[0060] In similar manner, it should be noted that any one of the
layers 1,2,3, 5,6,7 of the claimed armour may comprise several
separate layers.
[0061] The material for high energy absorbing layer D may comprise
high molecular weight polyethylene [e.g. Dyneema.TM. or
SpectraShield.TM.], high molecular weight polypropylene [e.g.
Tegris.TM.], any other suitable material.
[0062] The high energy absorbing layer D may be in contact with or
spaced from the inner armour pack C, but advantageously is in
contact to offer additional support to the ceramic segments.
[0063] The armour is configured to permit mounting of the assembly
of [0064] the outer armour pack A; [0065] the air gap B from;
[0066] the inner armour pack C; and [0067] the high energy
absorbing layer D in spaced relationship to the hull 11 of a
vehicle to provide an air gap E.
[0068] The drawings show [as an optional feature] an interface
plate 10 to assist mounting of the armour to the hull 11. The
interface plate 10 may be of a material and thickness chosen to
provide some further ballistic resistance, for example of steel or
aluminium.
[0069] The air gap E may be maintained by spacers 9 which may be
stiff or resilient and may be of identical or different materials
to spacers 4.
[0070] The entire assembly may be held together by bolts 12 passing
through holes in the separate integers of the armour. The outer
armour pack A; the inner armour pack C; and the high energy
absorbing layer D may be provided as separate components and
assembled and mounted to the hull in situ. The outer armour pack A
and inner armour pack C may be provided as an assembled body for
mounting with the high energy absorbing layer D to the hull. The
inner armour pack C may be mounted to the hull and the outer armour
pack A mounted to the inner armour pack, thereby facilitating
replacement of the outer armour pack A without necessitating
complete dismantling of the armour.
[0071] Adhesives may be used to join the integers of the outer
armour pack A together; and may be used to join the integers of the
inner armour pack C together. Preferably the adhesive has
significant flexibility.
[0072] An example of armour as claimed comprises the
components:
TABLE-US-00001 Component Detail outermost outer fibre reinforced
Nominal 3 mm thick phenolic resin impregnated S2 glass composite
protective layer 1 [HJ1 - obtainable from Agy] comprising 6 layers
cross lapped 0/90/0/90/0/90 outer ceramic armour layer 2 6 mm thick
alumina tiles 95% nominal Al.sub.2O.sub.3 with density 3.73 cc/g or
more inner fibre reinforced composite Nominal 15 mm thick resin
impregnated S2 glass support layer 3 comprising 30 layers cross
lapped 0/90/ . . . /0/90 spacers 4 2 mm thick washer outer fibre
reinforced composite Nominal 2 mm thick phenolic resin impregnated
S2 glass protective layer 5 [HJ1 - obtainable from Agy] comprising
4 layers cross lapped 0/90/0/90 inner segmented ceramic armour 19
.+-. 0.2 mm thick hexagonal ballistic alumina tiles 98.6% layer 6
nominal Al.sub.2O.sub.3 with density 3.86 cc/g or more embedded in
resin [Desmopan 385 obtainable from Bayer Material Science].
innermost inner fibre reinforced Nominal 12.5 mm carbon fibre 27
.+-. 1 layers 0/90/0/90 composite layer 7 etcetera high energy
absorbing layer D 2 layers of 32 mm thick Dyneema .TM. HB26 112
layers 0/90/ . . . /0/90 spacers 9 2 mm thick washer and 35 mm
spacer Interface plate 10 25 mm thick aluminium plate Adhesive
Nominal 0.25 mm thick layers Arbokol 2150 obtainable from Adshead
Ratcliffe & Co Ltd, bonding material disposed between:-
outermost outer fibre reinforced composite protective layer 1 and
outer ceramic armour layer 2; outer ceramic armour layer 2 and
inner fibre reinforced composite support layer 3; outer fibre
reinforced composite protective layer 5 and inner segmented ceramic
armour layer 6; inner segmented ceramic armour layer 6 and
innermost inner fibre reinforced composite layer 7; and optionally
innermost inner fibre reinforced composite layer 7 and high energy
absorbing layer D
[0073] The above description is illustrative only and it will be
evident to the skilled person that modifications and variants may
be applied while still within the scope and spirit of the
invention. Particular variants may be in the selection of materials
for the different layers and the present invention contemplates use
of both known and future materials in the invention.
[0074] The following claims use multiple dependencies. For the
avoidance of doubt the present application discloses and covers
each and every combination of features disclosed by any combination
of claims.
* * * * *